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Nakchhong
Nakchhong (नाक्छोङ) are the Shamanic tribal priest of Rai people an ethnic group that is predominantly located in the Himalayas of Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Nakchhong is the main priest of the Sakela shrine; during Udhauli and Ubhauli. They are self-learned, self-realized and do not have a teacher. During the unavailability of Nakchhongs, others can be chosen to perform the ritual worship at the Sakela altar. It seems that before worshiping Sakela (Bhumidev), four types of Mang(deities) are being worshiped by Nakchhong in a regular manner. Only after worshiping the said mang(deities) according to the law, it is believed that the Sakela Nakchhong will get the power to worship Suptulung (three stone alter), Sikari devta(hunter deity) Nagangeni(snake deities), Simebhume, and Retkamang (eight ancestral spirits) are also worshiped asking for power. After all the work is done, Sakela Nakchhong will give the sound of drum ...
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Nakchhong Rai Priest
Nakchhong (नाक्छोङ) are the Shamanic tribal priest of Rai people an ethnic group that is predominantly located in the Himalayas of Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Nakchhong is the main priest of the Sakela shrine; during Udhauli and Ubhauli. They are self-learned, self-realized and do not have a teacher. During the unavailability of Nakchhongs, others can be chosen to perform the ritual worship at the Sakela altar. It seems that before worshiping Sakela (Bhumidev), four types of Mang(deities) are being worshiped by Nakchhong in a regular manner. Only after worshiping the said mang(deities) according to the law, it is believed that the Sakela Nakchhong will get the power to worship Suptulung (three stone alter), Sikari devta(hunter deity) Nagangeni(snake deities), Simebhume, and Retkamang (eight ancestral spirits) are also worshiped asking for power. After all the work is done, Sakela Nakchhong will give the sound of drums fr ...
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Nakchhong Performing Sakela Ritual
Nakchhong (नाक्छोङ) are the Shamanic tribal priest of Rai people an ethnic group that is predominantly located in the Himalayas of Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Nakchhong is the main priest of the Sakela shrine; during Udhauli and Ubhauli. They are self-learned, self-realized and do not have a teacher. During the unavailability of Nakchhongs, others can be chosen to perform the ritual worship at the Sakela altar. It seems that before worshiping Sakela (Bhumidev), four types of Mang(deities) are being worshiped by Nakchhong in a regular manner. Only after worshiping the said mang(deities) according to the law, it is believed that the Sakela Nakchhong will get the power to worship Suptulung (three stone alter), Sikari devta(hunter deity) Nagangeni(snake deities), Simebhume, and Retkamang (eight ancestral spirits) are also worshiped asking for power. After all the work is done, Sakela Nakchhong will give the sound of drums fr ...
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Rai People
The Rai are an ethnolinguistic group belonging to the Kirat family and primarily Tibeto-Burman linguistic ethnicity. They mainly reside in the eastern parts of Nepal, the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal (predominantly Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills) and in south western Bhutan. The Rais are a set of groups, one of the cultivating tribes of Nepal. They inhabited the area between the Dudh Koshi and Tamur River in Nepal. They claim that their country alone is called ( Kiratdesh), and they call themselves Rai. In modern times, they have spread over Nepal, Sikkim and West Bengal. Rai are also known as "Jimdar" and in some places as "Khambu." "Jim" means "land" because they cultivated "Jim" or land, the Rais return cultivation as their traditional occupation. H. H Risley treats the Rais and Jimdar the as synonymous with the Khambus, but most of the Rais nowadays do admit Khambu and Jimdar to be synonymous terms connoting the same ethnic group. Rais are one of the dominant tr ...
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Shamanism
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into the physical world for the purpose of healing, divination, or to aid human beings in some other way. Beliefs and practices categorized as "shamanic" have attracted the interest of scholars from a variety of disciplines, including anthropologists, archeologists, historians, religious studies scholars, philosophers and psychologists. Hundreds of books and academic papers on the subject have been produced, with a peer-reviewed academic journal being devoted to the study of shamanism. In the 20th century, non- Indigenous Westerners involved in countercultural movements, such as hippies and the New Age created modern magicoreligious practices influenced by their ideas of various Indigenous religions, creating what has been ...
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Ubhauli
Ubhauli (उभौली) is festival of the Kirat communities of Sunuwar, Rai, Limbu and Yakkha of Nepal , India and around the world by Kirati people celebrated every year marking the migration phase upwards towards the hilly regions when the summer season arrives. The migration from hills downwards to areas of lower altitude is called Udhauli (downwards), which is also an annual festival of these communities. Sakela Sakela () is one of the main festival of Kirat Rai people, an ethnic group indigenous to Eastern Nepal and Sikkim, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling regions of India. Sakela is celebrated twice a year and is distinguished by two names '' Ubhauli'' and ' ... is the dance performed during the festival. On this Ubhauli festival day, the Kirat people pray to mother nature for healthy crops and protection from natural calamities in that year.http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2011-05-17/dancing-to-ubhauli-tunes.html References {{Reflist Festivals in ...
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Pokhemma
Pokhemma is a type of food used by Kirat as an offering for their ancestors. It is simply boiled beans, served strictly without salt. See also * List of Nepalese dishes Nepali/Nepalese cuisine refers to the food eaten in Nepal. The country's cultural and geographic diversity provides ample space for a variety of cuisines based on ethnicity and on soil and climate. Nevertheless, '' dal-bhat-tarkari'' ( ne, द� ... References Nepalese cuisine Ceremonial food and drink Legume dishes {{Asia-myth-stub ...
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Ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of leaves) about one meter tall bearing narrow leaf blades. The inflorescences bear flowers having pale yellow petals with purple edges, and arise directly from the rhizome on separate shoots. Ginger is in the family Zingiberaceae, which also includes turmeric (''Curcuma longa''), cardamom (''Elettaria cardamomum''), and galangal. Ginger originated in Maritime Southeast Asia and was likely domesticated first by the Austronesian peoples. It was transported with them throughout the Indo-Pacific during the Austronesian expansion ( BP), reaching as far as Hawaii. Ginger is one of the first spices to have been exported from Asia, arriving in Europe with the spice trade, and was used by ancient Greeks and Romans. The distantly related dicot ...
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Sakela
Sakela () is one of the main festival of Kirat Rai people, an ethnic group indigenous to Eastern Nepal and Sikkim, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling regions of India. Sakela is celebrated twice a year and is distinguished by two names ''Ubhauli'' and ''Udhauli''. Sakela ''Ubhauli'' is celebrated during Baisakh Purnima (full moon day in the month of Baisakh) and Sakela ''Udhauli'' is celebrated during the full moon day in the month of Mangsir. Significance Kirats believe in shamanism and are worshippers of nature. The Sakela celebration is a prayer to mother nature for healthy crops and protection from natural calamities. The festival is Started on Baisakh Purnima, Sakela ''Ubhauli'' is celebrated for 15 days in Baisakh (April/May) marking the beginning of the farming year. Similarly, the celebration of Sakela ''Udhauli'' during Mangsir (November/December), which is the harvest season, is the giving of thanks to mother nature for providing a good harvest. Sakela dance The main characteris ...
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Udhauli
Udhauli (उधौली) is a festival of the Kirat communities of Kirati people specially celebrated by Sunuwar, Limbu, Yakkha, Khambu Rai etc. of Nepal India and around the world by Kirati People and it is celebrated every year marking the migration phase downwards towards the low-elevation regions when the winter season arrives. The migration from the low-elevation areas upwards to hilly areas is called Ubhauli (upwards), which is also an annual festival of these communities On the Udhauli festival day, the Kirat people offer thanks to mother nature for providing a good harvest. Udhauli festival is celebrated by all Kirat people. It is believed that from this day the winter season starts. So people, birds, and animals migrate from cold regions to warmer regions. It's mainly celebrated in the eastern region of Nepal by dancing an exotic dance called Sakela or commonly known as Chandi. The dance is very popular in Nepal and is performed by dancing harmoniously in a circle ...
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Kalimpong
Kalimpong (Hindi: कलिम्पोंग) is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The region comes under Gorkhaland Territorial Administration which is an autonomous governing body within the state of West Bengal. The Indian Army's 27 Mountain Division is located on the outskirts of the city. Kalimpong is known for its educational institutions, many of which were established during the British colonial period. It used to be a gateway in the trade between Tibet and India before China's annexation of Tibet and the Sino-Indian War. Kalimpong and neighbouring Darjeeling were major centres calling for a separate Gorkhaland state in the 1980s, and more recently in 2010. The municipality sits on a ridge overlooking the Teesta River and is a tourist destination owing to its temperate climate, natural environment and proximity ...
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